The Focus Map

FOCUS is the most important asset that we have as entrepreneurs. And you’ve got to guide it.

When you really think about it, that’s the real key. Sure, you have to have time. You have to have some knowledge to do stuff. But, in the end, what really makes all of it work is your ability to be focused. To keep your eye on the ball.

The problem with an online business is that… you do it online. And online… there’s a million distractions. There’s a bunch of blogs and “gurus” all telling you what to do, jamming new ideas into your brain pan quicker than a hungry man at a pie eating contest.

So, how do you keep your eye on the things that matter to you if the world is constantly telling you to go every direction at once?

I like to use a focus map.

Yesterday, I told you about my little black notebook.

Every day gets a page in the book. And, right there at the top of it, I draw out a focus map.

The focus map is a simple little tree diagram. At the top, you name out your primary goal. Then, you divide that goal into 3-4 areas of focus that will result in that goal becoming a reality.

To work best, you make it numeric. This way, the goals and focus areas are very concrete.

So, here’s an example…

(Want to see a video on this? Click here to watch my video on focus mapping).

OK, let’s assume you have a goal to make one sale per day. Let’s say your business is young. So, one sale per day is a nice round goal you want to shoot for. So, right at the top of your focus map, you write “1 sale per day” and you put a box around it.

Now, what needs to be done to make one sale per day?

Well, a sale is made up of two components: TRAFFIC and CONVERSION. So, right there, you have 2 areas of focus. But, let’s make them concrete…

You have a landing page to make your offer. (You can build an awesome one with Thrive Architect). So, you need:

• 100 visitors per day to your landing page

• 1% conversion rate

With those numbers, you’d average one sale per day. Could be 200 and 0.5% or whatever. But, let’s just make the numbers realistic and add up to the goal you want – which is one sale per day.

Write those on your focus map, draw a box around them, and connect them up to your main goal “tree style”. You’ll have something like this:

Now, here’s how you put this to use…

As you draw up your tasks for the day (or even longer timeframes), you evaluate EVERY task you put on the list by whether it leads directly to those 2 areas of focus. You’d ask…

• What action(s) should I do to get me closer to 100 visits per day to my landing page?

• What action(s) should I do to increase my conversion rate to get to at least 1%?

Anything ELSE is a distraction.

If something that I think I need to do doesn’t point directly at more traffic to the landing page, or increase conversion rate… then I shouldn’t do it.

Think you need to “engage” with people on social media? Well, unless it is driving traffic to your landing page, you don’t do it.

Think you need to write that blog post? Well, unless it will point directly to your landing page and you can see the traffic that comes from it, don’t do it.

Want to tweak the design of your site? Well, you see where I’m going with this. I mean, unless you’re talking about tweaking your landing page, which could increase your conversion rate. So, in that case, do it.

If you read some “guru” article talking about the latest video marketing tactics, you can safely ignore it unless it will be applied immediately to your 2 areas of focus.

This is how you use a focus map.

I put it at the top of each day’s entry in my little black notebook. And, most days, the focus map is exactly the same. It doesn’t change from day to day unless your big goals do – which isn’t likely.

Every time you draw the same map, it just serves to keep your eyes on the goal. And that’s kinda the point. The more you draw the same focus map, the more it reenforces what you’re working on.

Give it a whirl. Let me know how it goes.

– David